If Pat and Peggy Wiens get the feeling that the grass is always greener on the other side of their fence... it could be because their new neighbour is the executive director of the Western Canada Turfgrass Association.

Let the “best lawn” challenge begin!

Jerry Rousseau took up his new post in January and came to Hope in May. He and his wife Tammy and their two kids have just moved into their new residence on 7th Avenue, where Rousseau will set up a home office.

The turfgrass association mainly draws its membership from professionals who design and maintain golf courses and sports fields.

“Forty-six per cent are from golf course professionals and about the same for sports field professionals, from municipalities and school boards,” said Rousseau. “The rest of the membership are landscapers, equipment providers, sod growers and seed companies.

“We have members from the prairies and even some international members — but the bulk are from B.C., and quite a large percentage of those are from the Lower Mainland.”

There are a number of facets to his job, much of which he can do from his home base. For one, he has a bi-monthly magazine to produce.

“It’s called the Turf Line News,” said Rousseau. “It started out in about 1970 as a newsletter but it’s grown to about a 56-page publication that comes out six times a year. We don’t author it, but we collect articles. We also use about 10 per cent of our budget for research, mainly through Kwantlen University and Olds College — and they write up the results of their research.

“I solicit print-ready ads and do the layout plans for the magazine and we have a graphic designer in Vancouver who does the rest. It’s printed in Vancouver but the mailing will be done from Hope. The circulation is 1,000.”

Another aspect of the job is meeting with government officials, especially at the provincial and federal level, to coordinate accreditation and recertification for pesticide applicators.

The association also sponsors seminars throughout the province and puts on an annual trade show and convention.

“It’s the biggest event of our year,” said the director. “Victoria, Vancouver and Penticton are usually in our rotation cycle, but we’ll be at the new Nanaimo convention center this year.”

Rousseau was the golf course superintendent of the 18-hole Kokanee Springs course, on the east side of Kootenay Lake, when he landed the turfgrass directorship. The Hope Golf Course may have its marmots — but Kokanee Springs has much bigger wildlife to watch out for.

“We had a herd of about 100 elk, in the spring and fall,” said Rousseau. “They do quite a bit of physical damage and they like to rub against the flag poles. We ended up taking out all the flags at night.”

Rousseau realized that he couldn’t direct the turfgrass association from his base in Crawford Bay, so he and Tammy looked at their options in the Lower Mainland.

“We were coming from a town of 200 and we didn’t want to jump to a big center,” explained Rousseau. “We’re really into the outdoors, such as cycling, golfing, hiking and skiing. I was on the Canadian freestyle ski team and I met my wife on the ski hill.

“I’m an infrastructure kind of guy and the amenities that Hope has is mind-boggling... the awesome golf course, the arena, the curling rink, the indoor swimming pool, the schools — and all the work being done at the downtown park. I realize that some of it’s because of the push for the Olympics but it’s impressive. I can’t say enough about Hope.

“We’re thrilled to be here!”